Post by blackcrowheart on Sept 23, 2006 15:26:14 GMT -5
Lenape people renew ties
By Rebekka Coakley, bcoakley@altoonamirror.com
Mirror photo by Rebekka Coakley
The Lenape Native Gathering was held this weekend at Blair Field in Huntingdon, where Jon McLaughlin (below) showed off his pet wolf, Ska Tate, which is the Native American Lakota tribe name for White Wind.
HUNTINGDON — Ska Tate is the Native American Lakota tribe name for White Wind. It’s also the name of Jon McLaughlin’s albino pet wolf.
“If I took her off the leash, you’d see why,” he said about her name.
The 9-month-old animal is 86 percent McKenzie Valley wolf and 14 percent Alaskan Malamite wolf. She was given to the Selinsgrove resident when she was 7 weeks old by a village chief near Knoebels Grove.
The love and respect Ska Tate has for McLaughlin is obvious when she affectionately rubs her head against his leg and licks his face when he says “lovey-dovey” to her.
The two spent their weekend at Blair Field in Huntingdon for the Lenape Native Gathering. McLaughlin is a regular vendor at American Indian powwows throughout the East Coast, and Ska Tate keeps him company during his travels.
He said wolves have a bad reputation but are not vicious animals. He said they live in a social order in which there are dominant males and females.
McLaughlin’s relationship with Ska Tate is one in which he is the Alpha male and she is the Beta. They can play rough, which gets the wolf hyper, but McLaughlin has her trained to calm down at his command.
McLauglin’s friend, who gave the name Wind Drummer Woman, also has a pet wolf she takes to powwows.
Wind Drummer Woman of Bellevernon spends the powwow season, which she says begins in March and ends about mid-October, selling handmade jewelry, blankets, dreamcatchers and dreambaskets.
Inside her tepee, which she set up in a half-hour, Wind Drummer Woman says it was the American Indian woman’s job to set up the house for nomadic tribes.
“It takes four men six hours to set one of these up,” she said with a laugh.
Venders were at Blair Field this weekend to celebrate the last gathering of the Lenape people at the same site in 1750. Kevin “Talking Crow” Ord, has been dreaming of the event for 10 years.
The Huntingdon resident said that when he was an archeologist working on a big house site, a place where American Indians had their most holy sacred ceremonies, he said he was inspired to re-create the historic event that took place more than 250 years ago.
“Historical documents show that all the Lenape people gathered on this site for a Thanksgiving ceremony,” he said. “That was the last time all the Lenape people were on the same ground. This is holy ground and it was my desire to bring representatives of the Lenape people back here to renew their ties.”
By Rebekka Coakley, bcoakley@altoonamirror.com
Mirror photo by Rebekka Coakley
The Lenape Native Gathering was held this weekend at Blair Field in Huntingdon, where Jon McLaughlin (below) showed off his pet wolf, Ska Tate, which is the Native American Lakota tribe name for White Wind.
HUNTINGDON — Ska Tate is the Native American Lakota tribe name for White Wind. It’s also the name of Jon McLaughlin’s albino pet wolf.
“If I took her off the leash, you’d see why,” he said about her name.
The 9-month-old animal is 86 percent McKenzie Valley wolf and 14 percent Alaskan Malamite wolf. She was given to the Selinsgrove resident when she was 7 weeks old by a village chief near Knoebels Grove.
The love and respect Ska Tate has for McLaughlin is obvious when she affectionately rubs her head against his leg and licks his face when he says “lovey-dovey” to her.
The two spent their weekend at Blair Field in Huntingdon for the Lenape Native Gathering. McLaughlin is a regular vendor at American Indian powwows throughout the East Coast, and Ska Tate keeps him company during his travels.
He said wolves have a bad reputation but are not vicious animals. He said they live in a social order in which there are dominant males and females.
McLaughlin’s relationship with Ska Tate is one in which he is the Alpha male and she is the Beta. They can play rough, which gets the wolf hyper, but McLaughlin has her trained to calm down at his command.
McLauglin’s friend, who gave the name Wind Drummer Woman, also has a pet wolf she takes to powwows.
Wind Drummer Woman of Bellevernon spends the powwow season, which she says begins in March and ends about mid-October, selling handmade jewelry, blankets, dreamcatchers and dreambaskets.
Inside her tepee, which she set up in a half-hour, Wind Drummer Woman says it was the American Indian woman’s job to set up the house for nomadic tribes.
“It takes four men six hours to set one of these up,” she said with a laugh.
Venders were at Blair Field this weekend to celebrate the last gathering of the Lenape people at the same site in 1750. Kevin “Talking Crow” Ord, has been dreaming of the event for 10 years.
The Huntingdon resident said that when he was an archeologist working on a big house site, a place where American Indians had their most holy sacred ceremonies, he said he was inspired to re-create the historic event that took place more than 250 years ago.
“Historical documents show that all the Lenape people gathered on this site for a Thanksgiving ceremony,” he said. “That was the last time all the Lenape people were on the same ground. This is holy ground and it was my desire to bring representatives of the Lenape people back here to renew their ties.”